Beijing has increased its naval presence in the South China Sea, fueling regional tensions. The islands of the South China Sea have been disputed between China and other Southeast Asian states since Vietnam’s 2009 reclamation of occupied islands due to overlapping claims of sovereignty.
Read moreA mosquito called Aedes aegypti has sparked a potential world health crisis. The insect is one of the main carriers of the deadly Dengue Fever virus, which has re-emerged at a critical rate this year and is currently endemic to over 100 countries.
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On Sunday January 27, two bombs exploded in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, the capital of Sulu Province, Philippines.
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Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte proposed a new law, allowing children as young as nine years old to be held criminally liable for their actions to teach responsibility.
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The blast occurred outside the Marco Polo Hotel, where President Rodrigo Duterte, who was in Davao City at the time of the blast, frequently stays and hosts political meetings.
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Abu Sayyaf received secret funding from Osama Bin Laden’s brother-in-law and began conducting terror attacks and bombings throughout the southern Philippines and Malaysia. In September 2014, the group pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the Islamic State. Since then, Abu Sayyaf has kidnapped over 15 foreigners and many Filipinos.
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The contested areas named in the case include Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands, known as the Nansha Islands in China and the Kalayaan (meaning “freedom”) Islands in the Philippines.
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Personal justice is facilitated by national fragmentation along regional and familial lines that stretch even to the government, dominated by elite families who preserve their power by means of election fraud and disposing of whistleblowers, watchdogs, and investigators.
Read moreIn Southeast Asia, the U.S. maintains a strong military presence to combat terrorist groups in the south of the Philippines, where 6,000 troops are stationed—twice as large as the deployment in Iraq, reports the Manila Times.
Read moreThe 26th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held in Manila on November 18-19, culminating the Philippines’ year-long hosting of 21 member states in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
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